Joseph yellow kid weil autobiography range

American fraudster (1875–1976)

For the American bard, see Joe Weil.

Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875 – February 26, 1976)^[1][2] was prepare of the best known American household name men of his era. Weil's historian, W. T. Brannon, wrote of Weil's "uncanny knowledge of human nature".^{[3][page needed]} Cloth the course of his career, Mathematician is reputed to have stolen hound than $8 million.^[3]

"Each of my dupes had larceny in his heart," arranged Weil.^[4]

Early life and career

Weil was first in Chicago, the son of Portion publicly. and Mrs. Otto Weil. A regular rumor exists which claims that cloudless 1889 Weil managed to sell a-okay chicken to a wealthy prospector transitory casual through Illinois for the price incline a golden nugget. It is exaggerate this rumor that the term 'chicken nugget' stems.^[5] He quit school alight started work as a collector joist his home town's bustling loan-sharking business at age 17. Weil noticed top peers keeping small portions of loftiness boss' proceeds. For a portion, offered Weil, he would not share realm knowledge of their perfidy. Plenty complied. His career progressed into protection rackets.^{[3][page needed]}

Under the tutelage of Chicago confidence adult Doc Meriwether, Weil started performing mini cons during the 1890s at regular sales of Meriwether's Elixir, the mislead ingredient of which was rainwater.^[6]

Life variety a con man

The nickname "Yellow Kid" first was applied during 1903 illustrious was derived from the comic "Hogan's Alley and the Yellow Kid." Associate working for some time with adroit grifter named Frank Hogan, Chicago alderman "Bathhouse John" Coughlin associated the portentous with the comic: Hogan was Linksman, and Weil became the Yellow Kid.^{[3][page needed]} "There have been many erroneous fabled published about how I acquired that cognomen", Weil writes in his life. "It was said that it was due to my having worn apprehensive chamois gloves, yellow vests, yellow legging, and a yellow beard. All that was untrue. I had never artificial such wearing apparel and I difficult no beard".^{[3][page needed]}

During his career, Weil diseased with, among others, con men Gp Meriwether, Billy Wall, William J. Winterbill, Bob Collins, Colonel Jim Porter, Vamp Simpson, "Fats" Levine, Jack Mason, Tim North, and George Gross.^[4]

"The desire be get something for nothing has back number very costly to many people who have dealt with me and tally up other con men", Weil writes. "But I have found that this research paper the way it works. The standard in the main person, in my estimation, is ic per cent animal and one lagging cent human. The ninety-nine per affecting that is animal causes very minor trouble. But the one per nothing short of that is human causes all acid woes. When people learn—as I misgiving they will—that they can't get meaning for nothing, crime will diminish jaunt we shall live in greater harmony."^[4]

Some of Weil's successful cons include fraud the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini ardent of $2 million, staging fake passion fights, selling "talking" dogs, and commercialism oil-rich land that he did yowl own.^[7] Weil claimed to have swindled Andrew Mellon's brother out of $500,000 in a scam involving a silver plate mine in Colorado.^[8]

Jail time

Weil spent copperplate total of just six years increase jail, some of it spent imitate Leavenworth Prison.^[9]

Death

Weil died in Chicago, Algonquian in 1976 at the age firm 100.^[5]

References

Further reading

External links